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袣懈薪谐 袣芯薪谐

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"It was Beauty that killed the Beast"

King Kong is a giant gorilla, a massive monster of an ape who lives on a remote island.
His enthralling story involves battles with dinosaurs, daring rescues and incredible escapes - endless thrills lead up to one of the most famous climaxes of all time!

'Anthony Browne is one of the most entertaining illustrators in this country.'
- Observer

'For sheer illustrative with, Anthony Browne is unsurpassed.'
- The Times

90 pages

First published November 3, 1995

3 people are currently reading
119 people want to read

About the author

Anthony Browne

147books306followers
Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

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5 stars
58 (32%)
4 stars
67 (37%)
3 stars
40 (22%)
2 stars
9 (4%)
1 star
7 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for GoldGato.
1,262 reviews38 followers
April 20, 2023
This 1994 publication was the very first time the famous monster movie of 1933 appeared in an illustrated format, which was surprising to me. It鈥檚 considered a Graphic Novel but is short enough that it could also hold a child's attention span. The pictures are big, just like the movies, so it鈥檚 also a find for cinematic buffs. In any case, I just adore the original movie which still stands the test of time, so I had to have this in my collection.

The story follows the movie completely, showing the trip to Skull Island, the emergence and capture of the great Kong and then the tragedy on top of the Empire State Building. The illustrations by Anthony Browne are gorgeous, many with a full page. Even when King Kong takes Beauty back into his cave, it鈥檚 portrayed as a vast cave, one which could even swallow the great Kong.



While it鈥檚 long been considered a 鈥榤onster鈥� movie, I always had sympathy for the great ape. Taken from the only land he ever knew and stuck into manacles in loud, brassy New York City, he becomes the hero. He never hurts Beauty and only becomes angry when attacked by others. Twas Beauty killed the Beast.

Book Season = Year Round (relentless drums)


Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
4,957 reviews171 followers
March 15, 2022
I read this book as I had seen some films with Kong in. I really liked the story but found the end very sad. The humans should have left Kong alone. I think all my friends would like this book as it is a good adventure story.
Profile Image for Renee.
5 reviews
March 20, 2021
This is Anthony Browne鈥檚 retelling of the classic King Kong story produced in a large, children's picture book form. The length, however, is not typical of an average picture book. The story proves to be quite a sustained read containing (depending on the edition) around 96 pages of detailed, descriptive text. The result is a rather tall, thick, and consequently heavy book 鈥� especially in hardback.

The text is beautifully worded and is matched by Browne鈥檚 equally impressive (as always) illustrations. The language use is accurate for the time setting and almost poetic in nature, giving a kind of 鈥榝ilm noir鈥� edge to the story. The illustrations are equally large, expressive, and dark - which further add to the grimy atmosphere depicted in the opening images.

Unfortunately, I did find the book鈥檚 storyline quite slow and unexpectedly struggled to maintain interest in finishing the book myself. Some scenes were quite drawn out and repetitive in nature. The events on Skull Island had me feeling quite sorry for Kong as he monotonously fought off new creature after creature at each turn of the page with no sign of a reprieve. The description of how he conquered each fight was also quite disturbing at times. The famous end scene of Kong atop the Empire State Building, swatting away the fighter planes pelting him with their constant stream of bullets was just as dramatic and descriptive as other adaptations. However, the events in between the action scenes focused on some of the not-so-important elements of the story that would generally not interest children. This could have the unfortunate consequence of younger readers not overly enjoying the read or even finishing it.
Profile Image for Hannah.
211 reviews22 followers
June 28, 2022
This is maybe the 10th time I鈥檝e reread this book, I used to read it over and over again when I was younger and I remembered that I still had it the other day and decided to read it again. It remains one of my favourite books. It鈥檚 beautiful and heartbreaking, with stunning art and an ending that will never fail to make me cry.

King Kong is my favourite character, he is misunderstood by the western world and appears to them as a terrifying monster, perhaps because that is all they are willing to see him as. In reality, he is gentle and caring and suffers from fear, anxiety, pain and loss (and many other emotions), just like we do.

Anthony brown has an incredible talent and the pure emotion that he creates with his artwork is very special. He hides a number of interesting and thought provoking things in his illustrations which almost makes it feel like you鈥檙e reading the pictures as well the text.

I think it portrays a few sad and timeless truths: that humans break the spirits of strong and powerful creatures; greed is dangerous; we resort to killing as a way to solve problems. If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend reading it. 馃
Profile Image for Allie Parsons.
25 reviews
December 19, 2024
i started the spanish version of this book over the summer and i felt kind of discouraged as it took way too long for me to read and understand, so i quit it. decided that i鈥檇 pick it up 6 months later to see if i could understand it better and it flowed so much better this time around! i finished it in a few days and feel accomplished to see tangible improvement that is hard to come by these days
Profile Image for Ritna.
123 reviews17 followers
January 29, 2022
Ten铆a una noci贸n de la historia de King Kong, pero jam谩s la hab铆a le铆do ni visto la pel铆cula. En la versi贸n de Anthony Brown las ilustraciones son maravillosas, tienen un nivel de detalle fant谩stico, me lleg贸 a sorprender de los detalles que presenta, es incre铆ble la ilustraci贸n.
Leer la historia como tal, recordemos que corresponde al novelista y dramaturgo Edgar Wallace, quien escribi贸 el primer guion de King Kong en 1932, me llam贸 mucho la atenci贸n, porque le di una lectura con los ojos del presente.
Es una historia que retrata la ambici贸n humana, que destruye por obtener beneficios personales sin importarle nada m谩s, en este caso la destrucci贸n a la naturaleza y fauna en la isla, que como sabemos termina con la muerte de King Kong en Nueva York, luego de que el director decidiera llevar a este esp茅cimen para "que el mundo entero pagara por verlo y hacerlos millonarios". Adem谩s en el personaje femenino se plasma el s铆ndrome de cenicienta, ya que por una parte Kong buscaba cuidar a Ann y por otra parte su prometido sal铆a siempre en su rescate.
Es comprensible la historia, ya que como una persona me dijo por ah铆, no podemos juzgar el pasado con los ojos del presente.
Y para finalizar me gustar铆a concluir con una cita: "No fueron los aviones. Fue la Bella, la belleza, quien mat贸 a la Bestia".
Profile Image for Michael Duren.
141 reviews3 followers
December 26, 2021
I grew up with this version of the classic King Kong story. I read this book countless times as a child. All these years later the beauty of the illustrations hold the test of time. The artwork by Browne is so delightful. He also does this fun thing where he hides apes in his illustrations. It鈥檚 cool to be able to spot all the hidden gorillas in this book. He also tells this story in a way that is accessible to people of all ages. I recommend anyone who loves Kong, to track down a copy of this book. You won鈥檛 be disappointed.
Profile Image for Jane Scholey.
242 reviews40 followers
July 16, 2018
I鈥檓 not going to lie, I love the giant ape. I love the films (1933 yet to be surpassed). I love the story. I love everything about him, even the sadness of the tale. This is such an excellent, beautiful version. Browne does the story proud. Stunning pictures telling of the downfall of this magnificent creature 馃槩
It was beauty killed the beast.
Profile Image for Nikoleta.
101 reviews2 followers
December 5, 2014
袙褗锌褉械泻懈 谐褉芯蟹薪懈褌械 褉懈褋褍薪泻懈, 懈蟹写邪薪懈械褌芯 屑薪芯谐芯 屑懈 褏邪褉械褋胁邪. 袩褉械泻邪褉邪褏 褋 薪械谐芯 2 锌褉械泻褉邪褋薪懈 锌褗褌褍胁邪薪懈褟 褋 邪胁褌芯斜褍褋 204. :)
Profile Image for Ranette.
3,126 reviews
April 23, 2022
When some explorers find a hidden island they are surprised by an enormous ape. they capture it and want to make money displaying him. It comes to a bad ending.
Profile Image for Fromwordstoworlds.
313 reviews2 followers
October 3, 2017
鈥淚t was Beauty that killed the Beast!鈥�

Anthony Browne has a distinct and sophisticated style; his representations of the world provoke your imagination and make you reevaluate the aesthetic of life. Influenced by surrealists he found his originality in creating a dreamlike world populated by gorillas 鈥� strong, massive, often deformed characters that are capable of the most unexpected, kindest feelings.

But to see their most pure emotions we must first get through their darkness, their anxieties and their dramas.

I completely disagree with the adults that consider we should not expose children to stories that explore the unhappy or intimidating aspects of life; it would be a lie to present life as a series of only pleasant and harmonious moments. And Anthony Browne has no hesitation to explore in his books the joy of life but also its darkness.

His recreation of the classic King Kong is a splendid example of his talent; the book is not just a representation of the movie but an original retelling of the story with emphasis on the antihero. Kong is a powerful, gigantic ape living on a remote, mysterious island. When a group of people from Hollywood looking to make a great movie in a dangerous place arrive to Skull Island and disturb his peacefulness, Kong will react. A god on his island, the enormous gorilla will interact with humans and fall for the beautiful girl, actress Ann Darrow, a blonde sensation looking like Marilyn Monroe.

Kong will fight dinosaurs and risk his own life for Ann eventually to find himself in captivity. Humans will bring the beast to civilisation and chain him for representation. Impressed with the size and wilderness of the gorilla, crowds will wildly gather to see him.

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8,324 reviews118 followers
March 25, 2019
A strong four stars for this juvenile retelling of the original film's story, if you can find it. I did quibble about how strongly Ann was made to look like Monroe early on, and it was weird she got bought so much stuff and only ever wore one cocktail dress the entire cruise to Skull Island. But the artwork has a lot of wonderful foreshadowing, and looks class all round, and the telling is a really good child-friendly read.
Profile Image for Mark.
254 reviews4 followers
February 25, 2022
Anthony Browne is an illustrator who turned Marian C. Cooper's movie script into a children's book. While a 1933 monster movie might seem like a bad idea as bed time story for your tyke, somehow Browne pulls it off. The illustrations of King Kong are not too scary and are artfully rendered. Browne essentially converts key scenes from the movie into pictures and provides a streamline summary of the film.
Profile Image for Melki.
7,010 reviews2,560 followers
April 2, 2018
Browne's artwork is always magnificent, but I'm still scratching my head as to why he decided to devote two years of his life to this project - a tale that's been told SO many times - and then add nothing new to the story.

Poor Kong!
301 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2024
Five stars for the effort Anthony Browne put in the illustrations; but unfortunately, the story just doesn鈥檛 seem to warrant more than three stars, particularly when approaching it without nostalgia for any of the King Kong movies.
Profile Image for Wilde Sky.
Author听16 books38 followers
August 27, 2019
A monstrous creature is captured.

An abridged version of a well known story.

Reading time around forty-five minutes.
Profile Image for Emma Radford.
480 reviews8 followers
February 2, 2020
The illustrations are genuinely a joy - my son enjoyed looking for hidden lies!
Profile Image for James Ingram.
186 reviews6 followers
January 30, 2025
Totally unreconstructed story, still with all the deep racism of the original movie. They could have done so much to change it for kids and parents
Profile Image for Gerry.
Author听43 books114 followers
November 6, 2023
The film of King Kong was a huge hit as a film when it came out in 1933, it was only a pity that one of the writers, Edgar Wallace, did not live to see it reach the screen. But his collaborator and subsequently co-director and producer of the film, not only did so but it is more than likely a relation of his, Richard Merrion Cooper who wrote the text of this book to accompany Anthony Browne's superb illustrations.

And the combination of writer and illustrator bring King Kong back to life from living on a remote island, falling for a beautiful girl, Ann Darrow, pursuing her as he is desperate to retain her, and being captured trying to take her away with him.

He is put on show but when he sees Ann again he is incensed, breaks his chains and sets about wreaking havoc on the streets on New York. Hair-raising adventures providing endless thrills for the reader follow (just as in the film) until that now famous climax on that iconic building in New York ... don't miss it!
7 reviews
September 17, 2011
Why I decided to read this book:
I decided to read this book because I have seen the movie and I wanted to know what the book was like.

Which category on the bingo board this book completes:
Picture book

What I liked about this book and why:
I liked all of the pictures in the book. The drawings of Kong was pretty cool. I also the liked the storyline because it was interesting and exciting.

What i didn't like about this book and why:
I didn't like how the book was a bit strecthed out. It was 100 pages and it got boring after a while. As its a picture book you would think that it would appeal to childern but because it was so long, childern could get bored...

Who would i recommend this book to, and why?
I would recommend it to everyone of any age. But some childern might find it hard to read because it is quite long.
Profile Image for Jonathan Barnett.
24 reviews
May 5, 2016
A Giant Ape pursues a beauty from Skull Island to New York City.

You know the story. This one is an adaption by Anthony Brown. The book makes for good family time however expect a tissue for the tears. The illustrations are good, Not too flamboyant or silly. It feature a lot of humor. Every picture features the image of ape hidden with in the details, such as a hamburger or wood grain. Also Ann Darrow is made to look like Marilyn Monroe. I'm not really sure why but it seems to work without agitation.
Profile Image for Valeria.
2 reviews3 followers
July 2, 2015
Las ilustraciones de Browne son alucinantes. Mientras le铆a el libro, acompa帽ado de las im谩genes sent铆 que estaba viendo una pel铆cula. El arte de Anthony Browne es inconfundible y nunca decepciona.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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